Collinwood, OH School Fire, Mar 1908

Articles about the deadly school fire in Collinwood, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio in March 1908.

The COLLINWOOD SCHOOL FIRE occurred on 4 Mar. 1908, killing 172 children and 2 teachers at Lakeview Elementary School in the village of Collinwood. The fire began shortly after 9 a.m when an overheated steam pipe came in contact with wooden joists under the front stairs, and only 194 of the 366 students enrolled escaped the blaze. The others were trapped inside the rear first-floor exit, and by the time volunteer firemen arrived, nothing could be done to save them. Nineteen bodies could not be identified and were buried in a common grave in Lake View Cemetery, along with 150 students whose identity was known.